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Zach's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Thursday, 5/22/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! After some early action wraps up a few series before the weekend, the main five-game slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel gets underway at 6:40 p.m. ET. All five games on the main DFS fantasy schedule are divisional matchups with four starting new series, while the Braves and Nats wrap up their NL East series in D.C. It's a great blend of strong options to consider from across the salary spectrum at each position, and there is plenty of value to help you build those winning lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
The weather could be an adventure in Pittsburgh and Boston, so be sure to check back for the latest forecast, lineup changes, and possible postponements prior to first pitch. In this post, we'll look at the best pitching options, hitters, and stacks to build around for Thursday's five-game slate.
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 5/22/2025, with the slate starting at 6:40 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is always essential.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
AJ Smith-Shawver - ATL - P ($9.8K DK; $9.8K FD)
Smith-Shawver is the most expensive arm on both sites on the evening slate, and the 22-year-old righty has shown excellent upside since returning to the majors at the end of April. He got his first taste of the majors early this season but went 0-2 with a 4.61 ERA and 4.25 FIP in three starts. He returned on April 29, and since then, he is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA, 2.96 FIP, and just a 0.84 WHIP. He earned at least 19 DraftKings points in each of those four outings, averaging 23.8 points per start.
Thursday will be Smith-Shawver's second straight start against the Nationals. He held them to just two hits and one unearned run in six innings last Thursday against Washington, earning 26.5 DraftKings points and 46.0 FanDuel points.
ATL RHP AJ Smith-Shawver vs WSN (5/15)
6 IP, 2 Hits, 0 ER, 6 Ks, 38% Whiff%
Fastball: 15 IVB, 10 HB at 97 MPH
Splitter: 8 IVB, 9 HB at 84 MPH
Curveball: -10 IVB, -10 HB at 77 MPH pic.twitter.com/E6DNnraOiW— Baseball Unstitched Podcast (@BaseUnstitched) May 19, 2025
Smith-Shawver's strikeout stuff has been excellent in both of his stints in the majors, and his 24.8% strikeout rate makes him an elite play on this slate with both a high ceiling and a high floor as long as the rain holds off in Washington.
Jack Flaherty - DET - P ($8.3K DK; $8.8K FD)
This weekend, Flaherty and the Tigers host the Guardians in an important AL Central series. After returning to Detroit as a free agent after being traded away last season, Flaherty is 2-5 in nine starts with a 4.44 ERA, 4.49 FIP, and 1.22 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings. He has a 28.9% strikeout rate and a 10.8 K/9, which shows how high his strikeout ceiling can be when he's on top of his game.
He got the win in his last start, going 5 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays and finished with 21.2 DraftKings points and 33.6 FanDuel points thanks to his six strikeouts and just two runs allowed. It was a nice bounce-back performance for Flaherty after he gave up at least four runs in his three previous outings.
Flaherty is a strong mid-range option on both sites on Thursday, especially in this matchup. He faced the Guardians four times last season and went 2-1 while giving up just three earned runs in 25 1/3 innings with 22 strikeouts.
Carlos Rodriguez - MIL - P ($7K DK; $7.1K FD)
The Brewers will call up Rodriguez for his first start of the season after optioning Tobias Myers to Triple-A last Sunday. It may just be a spot start for the 23-year-old prospect, but he does get a soft matchup against the Pirates. According to MLB Pipeline, Rodriguez was the No. 22 prospect in the Milwaukee system coming into the season, but he has been very impressive for the Sounds.
He is 3-1 in his nine games with a 1.99 ERA and 3.18 FIP while racking up 49 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. If his season debut goes well, he should be fully stretched out and ready to work deep in the game. He does have a good matchup against the Pirates, who rank last in the majors in runs scored over the last two weeks while hitting just .214 as a team with a 64 wRC+.
Also Consider:
Mike Burrows - PIT - P ($6.2K DK; $5.7K FD): On the other side of that NL Central contest, the Pirates will also give Mike Burrows his first start of the season. Burrows is the Pirates' No. 15 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he has also been solid at Triple-A with a 2.51 ERA, 4.47 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. He can be a solid cheap punt play, but Rodriguez has the better matchup and higher ceiling, so I'd reserve Burrows mostly for GPP differentiation.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Jose Ramirez - CLE - 3B ($5.8K DK; $3.6K FD)
Ramirez is red hot coming into the Guardians series in the Motor City and is riding a 14-game hitting streak. During that run, he is 21-for-54 (.389) with five doubles, four homers, four stolen bases, six walks, 12 runs scored, and nine RBI. He has a 46.9% hard-hit rate over that span, with a 10.2% barrel rate, and both of those metrics are well above his average for the whole season.
Ramirez is one of the few Guardians who has had some success against Flaherty in the past, going 5-for-20 with a pair of home runs. Since he can provide big games in multiple ways, Ramirez is always a great option to build around, especially when seeing the ball well.
Matt Olson - ATL - 1B ($4.9K DK; $3.2K FD)
Another well-known name heating up at the plate lately is Braves 1B Matt Olson. While the Braves' offense has been a letdown this season, Olson's power production has been solid with 10 homers and a .390 xwOBA in his 48 games this season. He has three homers in his last four games while posting five barrels in his last six contests, along with a 66.7% hard-hit rate. He's got a great matchup against Trevor Williams, who has allowed five homers to lefties this season and a .433 wOBA in the split.
Matt Olson stays hot!#Braves pic.twitter.com/K8w6N992s9
— WestCoastBaseball (@westcoastbsbl) May 20, 2025
Nick Allen - ATL - SS ($2.7 DK; $2.3K FD)
Allen's a great value at shortstop, especially if you think the Braves can get it going against Williams. He typically hits out of the ninth spot in the order, but when he gets on base, that puts him in a good place in front of the meat of the batting order, including Olson. Allen has hit safely in five straight games, going 6-for-16 (.375) and also added his sixth stolen base of the season during that run. He doesn't bring much power, to be sure, but he scratches out enough production to be a viable value that allows you to purchase power at other lineup spots.
Also Consider:
Alex Bregman - BOS - 3B/2B (DK ONLY) ($5.5K DK; $3.7K FD), Rafael Devers - BOS - 3B ($5.3K DK; $3.9K FD): The Red Sox are scheduled to host the Orioles at Fenway and these two power-hitting infielders would be in a great spot against Cade Povich, except that the weather looks miserable and could lead to a postponement. If they play in conditions that are not brutal, they will have a good upside.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Julio Rodriguez - SEA - OF ($5K DK; $3.2K FD)
Rodriguez's overall numbers for the season still aren't great since he's hitting only .231 with nine homers and a .318 wOBA. His xwOBA is a little better at .355, though, and he's starting to heat up lately, which is enough to make him a good play on Thursday night when his Mariners open their series in Houston. Rodriguez has homered in two of his last three games and three times in his last nine games while hitting safely in eight of those contests. That recent surge gives him enough upside against Lance McCullers Jr., who has given up nine runs with a 2.13 WHIP in his eight innings this season.
Riley Greene - DET - OF ($4.8K DK; $3.5K FD)
Riley Greene is absolutely rolling right now.
Since April 17, Riley Greene is hitting .333 with nine home runs, 29 RBI, and a 1.006 OPS.
Over that span he is tied for the AL lead in homers, while ranking 2nd in RBI, 3rd in OPS, and tied for 5th in average. On the season, his 1.5 fWAR ranks 6th among AL outfielders. pic.twitter.com/MyMGth2HLQ
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) May 21, 2025
He has averaged 12.5 DraftKings points per game over his last 12 contests with four home runs, a stolen base, a .504 wOBA, and a 26.7% barrel rate. He and the Tigers open their home series against righty Tanner Bibee, against whom Greene is 5-for-15 in their past meetings. Against righties this season, Greene has a .341 batting average and .443 wOBA, so he should be a great outfield bat to build around Thursday night.
Robert Hassell III - WAS - OF ($2K DK; $2K FD)
If you need a cheap outfielder, they don't come any cheaper than Hassell, whose salary is at the minimum on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He was in the lineup to make his MLB debut on Wednesday before the rainout, and he'll likely get his shot on Thursday against Smith-Shawver. While he is risky since he's unproven, he brings a lot of upside for a player at this price point. The 23-year-old came to the Nats in the Juan Soto trade and caught fire this month after a slow start in Triple-A. Over his 16 games in May, he hit .365 (16-for-63) with four home runs, two stolen bases, and a .438 wOBA. He should get a chance to play with Jacob Young (shoulder) banged up and Dylan Crews (oblique) on the 10-day IL, so if you are short on salary, he can bring plenty of relief Thursday night.
Also Consider:
Jarren Duran - BOS - OF ($5.2K DK; $3.4K FD), Cedric Mullins - BAL - OF ($4.4K DK; $3.4K FD): If the weather holds off, these outfielders will be viable plays in Fenway since both come in swinging hot bats.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Atlanta Braves (vs. Trevor Williams - WAS)
Williams' struggles against lefties this season make the Braves a great stack to build around if they can get in the game on Thursday night. Olson and Allen are my two favorite per-dollar parts of the stack, with Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies, Alex Verdugo, and Drake Baldwin also strong options to consider. Eli White is also extremely under-priced on FanDuel, where he's a top value option.
Seattle Mariners (vs. Lance McCullers Jr. - HOU)
He isn't especially relevant to DFS fantasy baseball yet, but the return of George Kirby is a huge deal for the Mariners. He may not last long enough to be a factor in either direction on Thursday, but his teammates have a good matchup against McCullers, who is still struggling to find his way after missing almost two years with various injuries. The Mariners bring plenty of power options to build around Julio Rodriguez, with Jorge Polanco, Cal Raleigh, and Randy Arozarena all strong options in the heart of the order.
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